I'm just tired.

Have you ever just been tired? I am just tired. In fact I just slept for almost an hour on the boys floor while they played around me. You know that kind of sleep - the kind where, yes you are asleep, but no you aren't. You can sit up at any moment and see why someone is crying or tell someone to stop pushing and then go right back to your "sleep zone". That was me! I had planned on napping while the kids did, but that might be able to get me through the day!

I think I got even more tired today after looking at the workout schedule I need to be keeping. Here is my deal - I LOVE to workout - BUT I hate to workout. Anyone else feel that way? Yesterday I had about 25 min before I had to be somewhere so I went to the Y and ran 2 miles in about 18 min and felt great. Then this morning Laura and I hit the spin class for 45 min and then did a few arm weights. For some reason I was dead aftewards. Here is the deal though - this Saturday is 12 weeks out from the 1/2 marathon that I really want to do. That means no more playing around - I HAVE to work out and really need to love it too! There is also a 5K in two weeks that I think I can handle. Maybe that will give me the boost of confidence that I need!

I just added up the amount of miles that I have ran in January and it is not good. From Jan 2 to Jan 31, I ran a grand total of 23.8 miles and did spin class two times. This is where I get tired. I just added up how many miles I'm "supposed" to run in the next 12 weeks before the marathon - 200! Did you see that - 200! That is roughly 16 miles a week, which is roughly four times what I ran each week in January. BUT good thing is that it is a progressive training and you don't run 16 miles the first week. You work up to it!

So I really want to do this, but I am so scared to commit for fear of failure. What if I don't get in my 16 miles a week, what if my back starts hurting bad again, what if I have a bad week that turns into two bad weeks and I get way off the training schedule. UGH!

Well, speaking of tired .... I am off to take a bath while the kids are napping and read my SHAPE magazine! It says on there that you can have sexy arms in two weeks and loose 8 lbs in one week!

encouragement for mom's of toddlers

My friend, Becca, listed this blog site on her blog today and I wanted to share it with you. I needed this encouragement today and I think that you may too.

Liberia Adoption

Did you guys see Oprah today? Do you want to adopt a child from Liberia? I LOVED this story today on Oprah. Visit here to see Lisa's blog. She is the founder of Proverbs 31 ministry and has adopted two boys from Liberia.

I LOVE good press for adoption! I also LOVE to see people adopt older children.

Favorite new snack

Okay guys you are going to want to go to the kitchen right now and make this. I LOVE this new snack that we made yesterday. In fact last night we had this for dinner and today I just modified it a bit for a snack!

We bought some great fresh bread from the store and toasted it in the oven until it was just right. Added a slice of turkey, a slice of tomatoe, some fresh mozarella cheese (the real stuff!), and some basil and WOW is all I can say about that!

Yes, you Oprah fans I got this off her show the other day!!!

Today I had just the tomatoe and cheese part and it was SO good - in fact I just ate a whole tomatoe!!!

This would make a great appetizer for a dinner party, and it displays so well!

YUMMY!

Confessions of a dirty book reader

Okay so did the title real you in? I must confess something - I was reading a book that I should never have read. Notice the WAS. Here is the deal, I had heard about this book and how wonderful it was and decided it would be my first book of 2007. I headed to Target, purchased the book and began reading. I was truly enjoying it and very much intrigued by the story of this man's life. Basically he grew up in a PSYCHO house and environment. It is a memoir and quite funny and yet oh so weird at the same time. About 50 pages into I read a part in the book that is sexually explicit and don't enjoy it but convince myself that it is okay because this is his life story and crappy stuff like this does happen to people, and I continue on. I did question whether I should be reading this though and voiced my concerns to Aaron and my mom, but justified it with the fact that it was his story and not made up. So,continue about 20 pages more and there is another scene not quite as bad as the last one, but none the less it is still a scene that I didn't enjoy. Now I am really questioning my choice of reading material. I am now ashamed to tell people what I am reading and swear I will NEVER recomend this book, but yet I keep on reading. It was as if I wanted so badly to know how the book ended up and what happened to this man that I pushed back my conscience and guilt and kept on moving. I convinced myself that if I could just get to the end it would be better. I would finish the book and never tell anyone I read it but at least I would know how it ended. And besides it is a memoir, not a kinky romance novel! Well, now I'm about 50 more pages into and a scene comes about that I wish I had never read because I can remember it and could almost picture it as I was reading it. It was one of the most graphic sex scenes I could think of and this poor boy is being taken advantage of by an older man. I slammed the book down and haven't picked it up since and never plan on finishing the book.

As I look back, I am puzzled as to why I allowed myself to get this far into the book. Was the ending so much better than me guarding my mind from these words and images? Did I think that just because this was his story that it was okay for me to put graphic images into my mind?

I have dealt with this on my own and it has been about two weeks now, and I am reading a much better book about being a good parent! I am thankful for the Holy Spirit in my life and oh so thankful that he continued to urge me to quit reading the book- gosh God does know what is best for us! I guess I'm confessing to you now to free myself from the feeling of hiding the fact that I was reading this book.

Remember - if it is your little secret it is probably not good!

Bob Green

Bob Green’s YOUR BEST LIFE

I’m doing my Oprah catch up tonight and Bob Green has a new book out that they are discussing. I am intrigued and listening b/c he is talking about what to eat to loose weight. Right now Oprah and him are walking through a mock grocery store and he is pointing out things to buy. If you didn’t see the show, don’t worry, b/c I’m going to fill you in on what he says!

1. Slim Fast is good if you are reducing a meal to reduce calories. Oprah says she adds ice and blends it for a smoothie type drink.
2. If you have one tip of what to add to you diet – you maintain and loose weight with the more veggies you pack into your diet! GREEN GIANT has great stuff.
3. Cheerios
4. Olive oil – second choice Canola oil – that is how you should be cooking
5. One a day vitamin
6. Honey Nut O’s from Cascadian Farm (Organic distributor)
7. Wasa crisps
8. Wishbone Spritzer salad dressing (we bought this last week and LOVE them – you don’t overload with dressing!)
9. Whole grain pasta
10. Soy milk (yippee this is all we drink these days – my kids can’t get enough of it!) Oprah uses it for smoothies
11. Button mushrooms
12. Yoplait yogurt

Visit www.thebestlife.com - for more information!

Okay here is Oprah’s Soy milk Chocolate strawberry smoothie:

2 cups Chocolate light soy milk
1 med banana in chunks
2 cups frozen strawberries
BLEND!

BLAH

Ever have one of those blah days where you just kinda "make it" through the day and not real sure if anything is good or bad, but just blah? Well today is that for me. Actually it started about 5 this afternoon. My day before that was great. School was good, PE was good and then SONIC was really good for me on the way home. :) I think I get this way when I'm about to start my period, which is way too much information for most of you, but heck it's true. I had cheese sticks from Sonic the other day. I hadn't had them in about 2 months, and seriously they are a strong hold for me. You think I'm kidding? I am not! They seriously do pull at me from the street. I know, I am psycho but it is true. I ate them every day when I was prego - maybe that is where the FIFTY pounds came from.

So today when the BLAH mood started coming on I thought I would feel better with something from Sonic. So, I went for the chili cheese Frito wrap - OH my gosh - SO GOOD. I topped it off with a banana-strawberry smoothie. In my mind I was evening out the playing field - something SO BAD for you it should be illegal, and something somewhat good for you! You like how this mind works!!

Well the kids were SUPER cranky tonight. Not long naps today for either of them so dinner for them was served about 4:50!!! I wasn't hungry since the chili-cheese-frito-wrap was just settling into my digestive track!

The kids were in bed and out asleep by 7:12! Yippe for me - I can get so much done - WRONG! The blah mood is even more in effect tonight. The only time I have gotten off the couch since they went to bed was to make me a bowl of soup and a glass of wine. I look around and so much needs to be done, but I have no desire to do it. Does this make me lazy and apathetic or just a tired mommy?

I have so many random thoughts running through my head:

what if someone took my boys? - this has been constant in my mind since the two boys were found in Missouri

do i live a generous life?

how can i make more money?

am i doing all i can to be a good mom?

why don't we have life insurance?

do i read to my kids enough?

where does elisabeth from the view get her clothes?

how is the lady in Haiti that was burned badly this week feeling?

how do i feel about George W Bush?

why do i feel so removed from politics?

what color should we paint our bathrooms?

what is aaron doing right now?

will i make it through the whole spin class tomorrow?

will jimmie and laura stay together?

maybe maris and i will have a baby at the same time.

where can i donate clothes, toys and books?

what can aaron and i do for a fun day on Monday?

when will jordan and kristen get blessed with a baby?

when will we have another baby, either through adoption or birth?

will i ever meet the livesay family that i love to read about in haiti?

will my desk ever be organized?

can i actually complete a 1/2 marathon?

why don't i pray more?

why aren't i more specific in my prayers?

do i give up on tasks to easily?

do i value things or people more?

how can i prove that?

will i ever be good at disciplining my children?

will Deacon ever hate us for adopting him?

how do i reign in Cayden's strong will?

Why does Tracy make homeschooling look so intriguqing?

When will Rach and Matt know about AW?

How is Mrs. Murbach feeling right now?


Seriously at one time or another today these have all gone through my mind. I feel BLAH and don't want to get off this couch until I finish THE OFFICE and GREY'S ANATOMY and maybe an OPRAH or two. Is something wrong with me?

"new" clothes!

I LOVE getting out the storage bins in the garage and getting "new" clothes for Deacon! I am figuring out that we had WAY TOO many clothes for Cayden! I just got out the 18-24 month bin to see if I could find some winter shirts and jammies and sure enough I hit the jack pot! About 6 pair of pants and about 10 long sleeve shirts. Also two jammies and a pair of swimming shorts, two jackets and two sweatshirts. Now, not sure if they will fit D well b/c he seems to be in between the 12 month stuff and the 18 month stuff. Oh well, big is better than small!! Also in the box are about 10 pair of shorts (what 18 month old needs that many???) and lots and lots of t-shirts! Love hand-me-downs!!!

So .... right now I'm happy my boys are so close and seem to be in the same season at the same time in their lives!

Haiti Journal

Here is an entry from Caroleanne's journal from when we were in Haiti in November. This was so wonderful that I asked her if I could share this on my blog. Thankfully she said yes so that you can benefit from it too.

Enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, November 19, 2006

6:15 am

Ok, who ordered the elephant? Actually, it is an insomniac cow who seems to
echo the cry of nearly
every Haitian I have seen so far. Desperation, discontent, anger...a longing
for more. But just as these cows are tied to a stake in the ground, so are
they. Their stake is their sin. It holds them down, locked from freedom,
and they are helpless to free themselves. What am I to do, my God?

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: he will make
your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the
noonday sun. - psalm 37-

....For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
-psalm 36-



8:45am

I cannot escape him, he haunts my very soul. I hear it, I cannot pretend I
do not. The sound of the cow is this: a plea for help! It tells me to get
up, there is work to do! God's people are not free! There is an enemy at
large pounding the stake further into the ground!
But, my Lord......

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak, the Lord delivers him in times of
trouble.
The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the
land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. -psalm 41-


1:20pm

This morning we went to a church in town. It was how I have always imagined
Africa to be and I was in my absolute glory! I had to laugh to myself as I
watched a man, whom I have nicknamed the "Pew Nazi", go around and swat
naughty children with a switch to get them to behave during the service. I
suspect that he is self-appointed, as most "nazi" are.

The highlight of my experience was holding a sweet little baby whose name I
later learned was Paul. I am guessing that he was about 7 months old, and
he had the darkest eyes I have ever seen. As I rocked him in the back of
the room to keep him from fussing, I could feel his little heartbeat against
my own. How odd to feel so connected to one I have only just met. I closed
my eyes for a moment and took it all in. I felt drawn apart from my
surroundings and led to lay my hand upon his head in prayer. Lord, I do not
know what kind of life he has, what his future will hold, and at that point,
I did not even know his name. But I had to pray for him. For you to bless
him, my God. That he would not only grow healthy and strong physically, but
spiritually as well. That you would grow him to be a man of wisdom,
integrity, compassion, and courage. A man of God. I knew that I would
probably never know what would become of him, but i still felt it, Jesus.
Espwa...Hope. Possibility.

What if this child that I was holding with his very life line pressed
against my chest, would someday grow up to change the entire country? And
what if in some mysterious way, I was permitted to have been a small part of
it? A fleeting, precious, moment that I could never forget? But on the
other hand, what if he does not? What if he is just an average man lacking
in those things worthy of worldly praise? Does it make him less? No, my
Lord. For to be a man of God is the greatest blessing I could desire for any
young boy.

....He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his
appearance that we should desire him. -Isaiah 53-






Monday, November 20,2006

5:45 am


I sit here this morning under the beloved Mango tree taking in my
surroundings. Though the sun is barely rising, I sense that the world has
been awake for hours. I close my eyes and listen to what it has to say.
These are the early morning sounds of Haiti:

The bellowing cow - Miserable and bound to the ground. Not by choice, it
doesn't know it has one. It may not know what freedom is, but I believe it
knows that it exists. Or does it?

A crying child - Why it cries, I do not know. Perhaps it is hurt or
hungry. But as it wails, it seems to echo that of the cow. Screaming in
unison. I believe that it is about so much more than what it thinks it is,
it just doesn't know it yet.

A crowing rooster- He screams at me to get up! The dawn has come, the
light is here! A new day is before me and once again, he has made all
things new. What will you do with it?

If I could be an animal, perhaps that is what I should desire to be. A
rooster. Awake, you who slumber! The darkness is gone, the light has come!
Your hope is here! Await no longer!
I think back to yesterday's scene of screaming children running through the
compound throwing stones at their dinner and the poor rooster running as
fast as he could. I have to laugh to myself at the absurdity and humor of it
all. But then a sobering analogy comes to mind.

You see, not everyone is happy to hear such news. And sometimes its tough to
be a rooster and be obedient to what God has created you to be. For obvious
reasons, I have nicknamed our resident rooster Stephen. For though he may
flee from those who take pleasure in stoning him, he cannot be silent.
I am reminded of our conversations about the Haitians who have no lights to
see their way. No electricity, no flashlights, and no batteries. I wonder
how long the night must seem to them. They watch and they wait. They
listen for the cock's crow, bringing them the message of hope. How much
longer must it seem for those who are deaf. Lord, give them ears to hear
and eyes to see.

For you are light, and in you there is no darkness at all. -1 John 1-




Wednesday, November 22, 2006

5:50 am

Each morning, I sit here at a picnic table at the New Missions compound, and
I see a fence. Not just any fence, but one designed for the purpose of
keeping others out. We can go out, but they cannot come in, and they know
it. Men, women, children, they all come to the gate begging for mercy, or
maybe even just a bit of attention. They know what is on the other side.
They can see it. They smell it. But I question whether they truly want in.
Perhaps what they really desire is to stay put in the mud and feces of where
they are and ask for what they think will save them to be handed over. And
who could fault them? It is safe and it is what they know.

I wonder if I too am such a fool. Do I stand at the fence of eternity
asking for false salvation? Do I all too often ask for what will sustain my
earthly body instead of saving my eternal soul? I wonder if any have ever
even asked to come in. Lord, let us not stand on the outside asking for the
things of this world. For we have been invited in. Take our hands and lead
us.

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had
opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country-a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he
has prepared a city for them. -Hebrews 11-


It is odd to me that this morning, I can find no children. Only a lone calf
sitting next to the fence. His sense of peace is surprising to me, almost
as if he believes he is already a part of what lies beyond. He is quiet and
waits patiently. He waits because he knows that his master is inside and
that he is important to him. He has not been forgotten. I have learned
that he belongs to one of the men that works here, and I wonder how he feels
having to leave him there. Does he worry? The young calf is so precious to
him. It is different from the others. It is not tied down, but free. It
gets up and wanders around a bit, and I see its master come and check on it.
Always watchful of its safety, never letting it out of his sight. I smile
to myself. I too am precious. I too am carefully watched over. And I am
not like the others, my master has freed me but he loves me enough not to
allow me to stray too far.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an
undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my
God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
-psalm 86-

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa sent a box full of presents for the boys! Thanks guys!


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BIG TIME BUS

okay so the guys "normal" conversion van is in the shop so they had to rent a BIG TIME BUS - it is so super cool. So Maris and I went through the whole thing inspecting it and wishing we were on this trip in our own little bunk!

Here are the pics:


the view from the front of the bus - a full size fridge - toilet and lots of seating area and big tv!


one of the bunks - 12 bunks in all - 3 rows high!


The back hang out area


view from the back.


well .... two supportive wives!

the risk of loving

Go here to read a great blog entry about loving a child that might not ever become yours.

Livesay Haiti blog

orphans

Someone shared this with me recently:

143 million orphans in the world
If only 7% of believers adopted one, there would be none


How does this make you feel?

Lose weight

Lose Weight By Dropping As Little As 100 Calories A Day
By Dr. Cherry

To lose weight you must eat fewer calories than you burn ? no matter how
much exercise you do. But weight loss can occur by shaving as little as 100
calories a day. According to weight-loss expert Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD,
if you trim 100 calories per day, either by eating fewer calories or burning
more, it should add up to a 10-pound loss at the end of a year. (A pound of
fat equals 3,500 calories; thus, 100 calories each day for 365 days is
roughly 36,500 calories, equivalent to over 10 pounds of pure fat.) And you
could double your weight loss to 20 pounds in a year by trimming 100
calories from your diet AND burning 100 extra calories each day.

Here are 20 easy tips to cut 100 calories from your diet, offered by Zelman:
1. Use mustard or low-fat mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise.
2. Have a piece of fresh fruit in place of cookies or chips.
3. Choose sherbet, sorbet, or low-fat ice cream over premium.
4. Use light whipped butter or margarine instead of regular.
5. Top your pasta with a red sauce instead of a cream sauce.
6. Order a small drink instead of a super-sized drink.
7. Use water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed.
8. Order pizza with veggies instead of high-fat meat toppings.
9. Choose whole-grain bread instead of a croissant or bagel.
10. Leave three to four bites of food on your plate.
11. Pass on the gravy on your mashed potatoes.
12. Skip the cheese on your sandwich or salad.
13. Switch to low-fat salad dressing instead of regular.
14. Spread your bread with jam instead of butter or margarine.
15. Have a side salad instead of French fries.
16. Choose skim milk instead of whole milk.
17. Eat 1/2 cup less of pasta or rice.
18. Remove the skin from poultry before eating.
19. Snack on carrots with hummus instead of cheese & crackers.
20. Choose fruit canned in natural juice instead of heavy syrup.

And here are 10 quick and simple ways to burn an extra 100 calories:
1. Walk an extra 2,000 steps, roughly equivalent to one mile.
2. Jog for 10 minutes.
3. Do 30 extra minutes of housekeeping.
4. Work in the garden for 20 minutes.
5. Pedal an exercise bike for 13 minutes.
6. Climb up and down stairs for 18 minutes.
7. Swim for 15 minutes.
8. Mow the lawn for 20 minutes.
9. Wash the car.
10. Work out at home with an exercise video for 15 minutes.

Weekend update

My mom was here for the weekend and it was fabulous. It is always nice to have family in town and I love when mom is here. She is great with the boys and is always the first one up with them - which means we get to sleep until 8 at least!


Cayden had a birthday party yesterday and we had so much fun! There were kids playing everywhere and I think Cayden loved it. They played with trains, colored and decorated cookies! Here are some pictures from the party:

SPUR in the UK

SPUR58 on UK Music Sampler

SPUR58 included on new Music Sampler CD in the UK. Refresh Music Sampler includes 16 tracks from the hottest new and bestselling artists from the USA, and releases to the UK this month. Artists include Building 429, By the Tree, Barlow Girl, Stellar Kart, The Longing, SPUR58 and more.

CLICKHERE TO VIEW SAMPLER

Potty Training accidents

Yesterday we were home all day and decided to not use pull ups and only big boy underwear - well FOUR accidents all day. UGH. I thought he was getting close, but no big deal we'll just keep going to the potty every hour on the hour!!!

Adoption Information in Nashville

There will be an adoption information meeting held at Woodmont Hills Church of Christ on Saturday, January 20 from 9 until 11. Information will be provided on Domestic, International and Embryo Adoptions. Please pass this information on to anyone who may be interested.

This is through Bethany Christian Services of Nashville. www.bethany.org

Haiti history

Click here for a brief history of Haiti.

Happy Birthday Cayden!

Fist family picture - wow I look like I just went through labor!!!

I honestly thought that Cayden would NEVER come out of me. I was due January 17th, and my doctor graciously said that he would induce me on Monday, January 19th if he had not arrived. I had tried and tried to talk him into inducing me earlier and he always politely said NO. He claimed it isn’t good to do with the first baby – I told him I would not hold him accountable for breaking any hospital rules. J

On Thursday evening, January 15th, 2004, Aaron and I ordered veggie pizza and did our usual of watching TV and watching my belly go nuts as this “alien” inside me did his gymnastics routine. Later in the evening I started to feel kind of weird and was having what I thought to be contractions but they didn’t hurt like I had thought they would. So, I went to bed and hardly slept at all because I was so anxious as to what might be happening to my body. I should have slept more, but I was thinking at any moment he might pop out of me – ha ha – I found out about 15 hours later that they don’t just “pop” out!

So, in the wee hours of the morning I went potty and realized that something had come out of me (later realized it was my mucus plug) and I wasn’t sure what it was, but knew it wasn’t the alien inside of me. So, back to bed I went, only to get up many more times in the night because my panties kept getting wet; I thought I was peeing on myself all night long. I was also having slight menstrual cramps throughout the night (contractions!).

I called the doc in the morning and replayed the events of the night and he said I should come in and get checked out. We packed a bag, just in case!

At the doctor’s office we met with Dr. Draughn who would later deliver me since Dr. Presley was enjoying himself in Hawaii, and he confirmed that YES I was in labor should head next door to the hospital. OH MY GOSH is what we were thinking!!! So, we got in our car and ran through the drive through at Bank of America to make a deposit – I guess we needed money and had to do it then! The lady at the drive through told Aaron he had to come in because he didn’t have the right form, and he told her he couldn’t because his wife was in labor. HA! I wondered if she had ever heard that excuse before.

When we arrived at the hospital, around noon, they tested the fluid and yes my water had barely broken and I had been leaking amniotic fluid all night long. Since I had been leaking for a while now they started me on pitosin to speed up the labor.

I had told Aaron that I wanted to go “natural” as long as possible and no matter what I said to not let me get the epidural until I absolutely needed it. Looking back I now know that was one of the most stupid decisions I have ever made – if you plan on eventually getting it, then just get it as soon as you can! So the pitossin starts kicking in and I’m hurting. The contractions are getting harder and I decide now is the time for the epidural. I tell Aaron and he says that we should wait. WHAT? NO I want it now. He says that I told him earlier that I wanted to wait as long as possible, no matter what I said in the heat of the pain. WHAT? I want it NOW. So, I got it then!

Much better! The rest of the day was fabulous. We had SO many visitors that hung out the whole day and made all the nurses crazy!

Finally it was time to start pushing. This is the part that no body had prepared me for. It was so hard and so exhausting to push. In the room it was Aaron, Dr. Draughn, two nurses, and me. I pushed for TWO hours with him and during that time my epidural wore off and the pain came rushing back. Finally, the doctor told me he was not coming out and he needed to use the suction on his head – GO FOR IT I said. I didn’t care what he used at this point. So, as I was screaming “it’s burning, get him out” he suctioned him out and finally our son Cayden James Ivey arrived at 9:53 pm, weighing in at 9lbs 11 oz and 21.5 inches long.

When Cayden came out it was one of the best moments of my life. Seeing this baby that we had created join us in this world was an experience like none other. He was beautiful and he was ours. They laid him on my chest and it was as if I had loved him forever. Aaron and I both cried, as we loved on our son for the first time ever.


Look at that BIG boy!


Our first view of our new son!


January 16, 2004 was a marvelous day for us.

Cayden is so sweet and is growing into such a little boy. He amazes me at his compassion for his baby brother and the love that he can so easily give out to Aaron and I. He cracks me up daily with his thoughts and he is always ready to have a good time. I am thankful to be his mommy and pray that God will do amazingly wonderful things in his life, more than I could ever imagine possible.

Cayden, I love you!


My big THREE year old little boy!

Click HERE to see Deacon's birth story!

3 years ago

I've been thinking a lot about Cayden's arrival. He will be three on Tuesday and I honestly can't believe that I am his mommy and God has blessed him and his brother to Aaron and I. They are both great boys.

I will tell you Cayden's birth story on Tuesday, so look forward to that.

Our pregnancy with C was very unplanned and very unexpected. We had moved to TN just two month earlier and the plan was for me to get a full time job to support us for two years while Aaron got the band going. We would then think about kids. Ha! We found out we were expecting May 2003. I had a great pregnancy and was never sick and felt great until about month 7. Then things got miserable. Maybe it was the extra 50 lbs I was carrying around!!! I thought I would humor you all and show you a few pics of me with my pregnant belly. Now all these pics are taken in November and he was born in January, so believe it or not I got bigger! I was HUGE! If I ever birth another baby - this WILL NOT happen again!


Enjoy the pics and I hope you get a good laugh out of both of us - YES I have lost the 50 lbs and if you are wondering Aaron has too!!!

Dance

We like to dance around here!


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Messy Eater

Okay D is eating much better and drinking from a sippy cup now!

Check out these videos and pics of him at dinner tonight:

Potty Training

I think we are potty training. It just kinda happened and now we're in it. Cayden has been going peepee in the potty at school but refusing at home. So, we now have a jar full of "potty prizes" (tiny marshmallows) that have enticed him to now peepee on the potty at home. YEAH! So basically every hour on the hour I take him to the potty and he goes! Yeah! Yesterday he told me three times he had to go on his own!

What I have been scared of is to try the "big boy" underwear we bought. So, tonight for an hour before bed time we wore the "big boy" underwear and he loved it. The only problem is that he REFUSED to wear it the right way. You see on the back of the underwear is Lightning McQueeny from CARS. Well, what little boy wants this on the back - not mine - he wants it on the front. So, we did. Look at these pictures and video. He is hilarious and so proud of himself. I think I'll start a few hours a day while we're home with the underwear! If anyone has any advice or helpful hints be sure and let me know!!





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New blog

Okay so those of you that have been with me on the old blog thanks for making the switch! As you probably noticed in my other blog I had lost all of the archives and information about me. I have been working on it all day today and I can't get it fixed!

So, welcome to this new blog! Add it to your blogspot and bookmark it on your computer!